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When my mother had stomach cancer, I flew back to Toronto to give my siblings a reprieve and support my mom post-surgery. The procedure to remove her tumour was long and very painful. Post-discharge, my mom experienced severe stomach pains, difficulty sleeping and digestive problems. Heavily medicated (not me, her!) to reduce the pain, I…Read more…

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit not one hospital but two! After rupturing my Achilles tendon in a squash tournament, I was taken to our local hospital where upon arrival, I discovered I didn’t have my CareCard on me. Which surprised me, as I was certain it was something I kept in my…Read more…

I have a wonderful brother. Mind you, he wasn’t always wonderful. In fact, I didn’t officially put him in that category until he was married and had a few kids under his belt. Up until that time and depending on the circumstances, he was either in the “awful,” “overprotective” or “suspiciously being kind for no…Read more…

“What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humour, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies.” ~Rudolph Giuliani I’ve just finished baking cookies. As I pull out the ooey-gooey tray of sinful delights, I can’t help but think of my grandmother and a…Read more…

“Just as a puppy can be more of a challenge than a gift, so too can the holidays”. ~ John Clayton When I first read this quote, I laughed out loud. Our beloved puppy (who is now a year old), Buddy, was a Christmas gift to our daughter last year. I truly forgot how much…Read more…

Are you confused or unsure about what kind of help you or your aging loved one is eligible for in the community? Congratulations! You are among the many Canadians who find navigating the healthcare system overwhelming and even a little scary. Many caregivers find the co-ordination role (similar to that of a case manager) the…Read more…

Mr. Jones is an 83-year-old widower living in his own home. When asked, he’ll tell you he is doing “fair to middling.” He’ll go on to tell you his legs are tired and wobbly and he doesn’t get out as much as he’d used to. He has a scooter, which gets him to town and…Read more…

I recently returned from the Canadian Stroke Congress in Vancouver. The congress was a four-day event all on stroke; from prevention to treating stroke in hospital to long-term recovery in the community. There were representatives from all over the country sharing research, programs and ideas. One of the workshops I attended was on aphasia. Are…Read more…

The pain was so unbearable, that had there been a shotgun in the house, I would have put myself out of misery.” For some of us, reading such a statement might surprise, horrify or shock us. Yet, thoughts about and committing suicide among seniors is more common than most people think. Take Robin Williams’ suicide…Read more…

“I feel like I’m the parent now and my mother is the child.” It’s a statement I hear by many a worried and stressed out caregiver caring for an ailing parent. When my father had his first of three strokes, a defining moment in how he was cared for is forever etched in memory. We…Read more…

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“You are amazing! What I tried to do in 2 months, you did in 1 week. You’ve helped us navigate the system, made sense of Mom’s disease, and gave back her independence and control. Thank you for making such a difference in Mom’s life and giving us, her family, complete peace of mind.”